No word yet on whether the Indian Air Force is besting USAF in this year’s Cope India exercise, as they did in 2004. USAF officials say, though, that there is a growing sense of camaraderie between the two air forces. Approximately 250 Pacific Air Forces airmen joined their Indian counterparts on Nov. 7 to begin the two-week air combat training exercise. Participants include F-16s from Misawa AB, Japan, and an E-3 Sentry from Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan, with the Indians flying several MiG models and the Su-30.
The Air Force’s nascent KC-Z program, aimed at developing a next-generation family of systems for aerial refueling, will look to launch its analysis-of-alternatives study in 2024, years earlier than originally planned. Originally, the analysis of alternatives for KC-Z was set for “maybe in the 2030s,” Paul Waugh, program executive officer…